As most of you know out there, I am a barman by profession, not the best job in the world I know, but fu@k it, it pays and I enjoy it!
Now, I know that most frequent pub drinkers are professional moaners, especially smokers, and all of us in the trade are well aware that there is nothing else in the world to talk about these days only, "Jesus Christ, Boi, 'tis naatten happenen' in hare boi!", or in lay-mans terms, "Oh dear, it's rather quite in here!". Pubs are dying a slow and painful death, that's no secret. But who is to blame??
Straight away, I'm hearing droves of people standing up and shouting out "THE SMOKING BAN"! Most of these people are smokers and you can be sure a very, very small percentage of them have EVER worked in a bar. SO, I would quite confidently tell you if you ARE one of those people to "Sit down and shut up, you are wrong!"
There is only one organisation to blame for this, and it isn't the government and it isn't Diagio. Sure they are the ones who impose the price increases that I am ranting about now, but that is purely because they are allowed to partake in this shameful exercise in extortion. The organisation that are to blame for this is The Vintners Federation of Ireland.
I could be wrong about the history of these guys, but I would imagine that they were originally set up as a kind of union for publicans, that would make sense. An organisation for all of the lads to get together to help each other out, right, to stop any injustices that may occur. But they are doing NOTHING! They know if Diagio (Guiness) turn around and put 10c on a pint, they can put a further 5c, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
I don't know about you, but I think it's very, very strange that they were totally opposed to the SB (smoking ban-we'll call it from now on!), and then climbed back into their shell a few days before the ban came in. Why, because they know that if they let it happen the Government would not bring in another price freeze as they did in 2000 (which only lasted 6 months, by the way, (BIG SWINGING DICKY!)). They must have been given certain assurances! The VFI are a very powerfully lobby in this country, and they are killing the local pub. THIS MUST STOP.
They stink of greed.
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